Director suspended in shakeup at Pueblo animal shelter

By Jon Pompia The Pueblo Chieftain

Wednesday

Mar 20, 2019 at 3:53 PMMar 20, 2019 at 4:07 PM

In the wake of the departure of its staff veterinarian and amid an investigation by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Linda Mitchell, the shelter director of Community Animal Services of Pueblo and most visible face, is apparently off the job — at least temporarily.

"All I've heard is that she's been suspended," said Pueblo County Commissioner Chris Wiseman, who has been working with shelter staff and board members to fix the issues that led to the state investigation.

Authorities executed a search warrant at the facility Friday. Hours later, the organization's board announced an emergency meeting. Since then, staffing changes have surfaced, and at least one Pueblo resident who took an injured cat to the facility for treatment was turned away.

Community Animal Services of Pueblo is operated by PAWS for Life Animal Welfare & Protection Society. As the voice of PAWS, it was Mitchell who was at the forefront of the drive that ended in late 2018 with the city awarding a three-year contract to the organization to operate the shelter and handle animal control.

Once the contract was secured, Mitchell continued to be the spokeswoman for PAWS and the shelter. It's unclear if Mitchell was still the shelter director as of Wednesday.

"She's still an employee," said the spokesperson for the shelter, refusing to elaborate.

An emailed statement from PAWS board president Ruth McDonald also didn't clarify Mitchell's employment but said the organization is "fully cooperating with the investigation."

"There are corrective actions being taken, including staff evaluations and training. We will not comment further on personnel matters at this time," McDonald wrote.

Community Animal Services of Pueblo took over operation of the shelter and animal control from the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region on Jan. 1. Soon after, the state department of agriculture launched an investigation, and its staff veterinarian, Joel Brubaker, abruptly departed, and Mitchell was suspended.

"Maybe it will work out. I don't know," said Pueblo City Councilman Bob Schilling, one of three council members who voted against awarding the contract to PAWS. "But I was worried it was going to be a mess from the very beginning. I don't really want to be in the dog business, so I hope it works out."

As the contract with PAWS contains a performance clause, should the expectations of the city or county not be met, PAWS has 10 days to correct itself.

If the remedial action does not meet the approval of local government, the contract could be abandoned.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Schilling added. "But if we're forced into doing something, then that's what will have to be done."

In his former role as the state's deputy commissioner of agriculture, Wiseman oversaw two animal-related programs, including the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act. He is now working with PAWS officials to find a staff veterinarian to replace Brubaker.

"They've met with me twice in the last week and have answered all the questions I've had," Wiseman said of PAWS representatives. "And they've made the changes I've requested. I don' t know how they're dealing with the media, but in my opinion, the more transparent and open they are at this stage, the better off they're going to be."

Wiseman believes that PAWS officials and staff "were not given all the information they needed from Mitchell. And after these things transpired, in my mind, they were making the proper moves in order to cure the problem.

"But, how long we're willing to wait for all that to transpire is not certain. There is a clause that we can pull the contract. Now, I can't speak for the other two commissioners; we want to work to resolve the issues and be a partner in this. But if we don't see the right kind of direction to cure the problems, we will use that clause."

jpompia@chieftain.com

Twitter: @jpompia

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.